The Ripples
by SoulDefender
Summary: Even one small leaf hitting the surface will cause ripples to spread, changing the face of the entire lake. What impact will one wandering warrior in the Leaf have on the Naruto-verse? Naruto-centric with heavy dose of OC early on.
1. Chapter 1

**_A/N: I don't own Naruto. If I did, I wouldn't need to write fanfiction, I would just write new chapters for Naruto instead._**

**_A/N Pt. 2: My apologies to anyone waiting for the updates on my Bleach story, The Guardian. I'm still working on it, I just can't seem to make the next chapter what I wanted to be. In the meantime, I've had an idea for Naruto for a while, so I decided to go ahead and write that, hoping that it might knock something loose for The Guardian._**

**Chapter 1: The Ronin and the Demon**

The noonday sun was shining brightly in the village, showing streets bustling with even more activity than normal. It was the day of the biggest festival of the year, and there was much work still to be done. Vendors were setting up street side stands, the game masters doing the same, while others were making sure the fireworks were ready for the display, which was slated to truly be something worthy of remembrance. Meanwhile, children and parents were wandering the streets in eager anticipation of the party which this activity was preparing for, all under the watchful eyes of the various ninja jumping across the rooftops. This is not, after all, just any village. This is the Village Hidden in the Leaves, Konoha, the strongest of the ninja villages in the land. And this is not just any festival. Today is October 10th, and the fourth anniversary of the day when the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, gave his very life to save the village from the most powerful force of nature the world had ever known, the Nine Tailed Fox Demon, Kyuubi. It only makes sense that everyone would go all out celebrating this heroic act. Of course, the day doesn't mean the same thing to everyone, and at least one person is not in a festive mood.

There is one small four year old boy, sitting in his apartment, looking out the window, his stunningly blue eyes welling up with tears, trying to prevent them from falling. As one breaks free from his constraints, it runs down his cheek, tracing over the whisker like birthmarks found there, he finally gives in, letting his face fall into his hands, obscuring everything but the golden blond hair atop his head and his heaving shoulders giving away the sobs which he is suppressing with every ounce of strength his little body possesses. Curious, isn't it? On a day like today, children should be struggling to contain their joy, not their sorrow. Especially on their birthday! It seems like an incredible swing of good fortune, having your birthday fall on the day of the biggest festival. The irony of the situation doesn't escape even him. "Why today? What did I ever do to them? Why should I have to spend my birthday locked up and alone while everyone else celebrates? It just isn't fair!"

Mind you, none of this hustle and bustle has any particular impact on the woods surrounding the village. No, the woods are just as peaceful and quiet today as any other day. The only sounds to be heard are the calls of the birds in the trees, the small animals scurrying on the ground, the light breeze blowing through the trees, and the soft padding of two feet walking down a path towards the village. Whoever this traveler is, he certainly seems to enjoy a sense of mystery. He wears a large straw hat, pulled down so that not only can you not see his hair, but the top half of his face is similarly shielded. In addition, he wears a heavily faded blue cloak with the image of waves along the bottom, and a lighter blue towards the top, complete with an image of a golden sun on the collar. While the cloak is mostly open, it is fastened together by three buttons at the top of the cloak, effectively covering any facial features which the hat failed to hide. That open front of the cloak reveals a simple blue kimono held together with a black obi. More than the obi itself, what would likely catch anyone's eye would be the hilt and sheath of the sword held to his hip by the obi. It was clearly a long blade, though just how long was once again hidden by the cloak. On his feet were standard wooden sandals. Other than his sword, there was nothing that would call attention to him, and even the sword was not exactly jumping out at you. So perhaps it should have been no surprise that he was already a few steps past the checkpoint at the gates of Konoha before the two guards realized that someone had walked right past them.

"Hey! Hold it!" yelled the first, a non-descript chunin, at the intruder.

"Yeah, you can't just waltz in here without checking in!" said his partner after jumping in front of the man.

Wordlessly, the man turned around and walked back to the gate, before bowing and apologizing in a flat, emotionless voice, "My sincerest apologies. I am simply attempting to pass through. I have been walking for some days now without having stayed in a village, and so it was my hope to find an inn where I could bathe and rest before continuing on my way."

Slightly unnerved by this strangers behavior and the tone in his voice, the first chunin, a man with short brown hair, answered with a clear edge in his voice, "Yeah, well, without a name and a face, you can't be allowed to just wander freely in the village." Giving the man another once over, he noticed the handle of his sword and added, "And besides, you'll have to drop your sword here. You can pick it up when you leave town."

The stranger visibly tensed at mention of the sword. "I was unaware that a village of shinobi would have an issue with my carrying a sword."  
The second chunin decided to clarify. "Normally you'd be right. Today is a major festival, however, and as such, for the protection of the citizens and visitors, the Hokage is not allowing anyone other than Leaf shinobi to carry weapons."

The man seemed to relax a bit, before bowing once again and continuing in his emotionless monotone, "Very well then, I shall be on my way. If this is the day of a festival, it would seem it is not the best time to come here seeking to relax." And with that, he walked back out into the forest, leaving behind two severely confused guards.

A few hours later, the festival was in full swing. The streets were almost impassable, clogged with hundreds upon hundreds of people. A young blond and a mysterious stranger were both thinking the same thing: _'Man, that sounds like fun.'_ As it turns out, there response to that thought was essentially the same. Our young blond decided he would cover up a bit, tying an old bandanna over his head to cover his blond hair, and putting on a black jacket with a high collar to cover his whisker marks. Confident that nobody would be able to recognize him now, he left his apartment to go join the festivities. The wanderer, not having much left to cover up, simply moved his sword from his hip to his back, so as to have it completely covered by the cloak. Granted, if a chunin level ninja or higher gave him a close look, it would stand out plain as day, but so long as he gave no reason for suspicion, it should be just fine. With that thought, he walked up to the village walls, channeled some chakra into his feet, and with a speed that even a jonin would have a hard time keeping up with, scaled the wall and jumped to an alley bellow before making his way in to mix with the crowds.

After the sun had set, the wanderer began to think it was just about time to try and find an inn. _'Not that there are probably a lot of open rooms left at this point. Hmm, maybe I should just head for a bath instead and then leave again. A bed would have been incredible, but just relaxing in some hot water after all these days using freezing rivers will be heavenly.'_ While he was thinking this, something caught his eye. There was a large group gathered around the opening of a narrow alley. This didn't seem entirely out of place, after all, he'd been seeing groups this size and larger all over the place at the festival. But now he was blocks away from the festivities, and the shouts from the crowd didn't sound happy, but angry. _'Crap. The last thing I need to be doing is sticking my nose in other people's business. Then again, angry mobs rarely end well, and mom would never forgive me if I turned a blind eye to someone's suffering. I better at least go see what this is all about.'_ As he approached the crowd, he became more and more concerned about what was happening. He was catching bits and pieces of the angry cries of the mob. Things like, "Demon!" and, "Kill the demon brat!" The last one is what really concerned him. _'Brat? Ah crap. If there is a kid involved in this, then I'm probably gonna have a major headache before I'm through.'_ To confirm his fears, he scaled a building next to the alley and looked down on the scene without the mob noticing. Sure enough, what he saw confirmed his fears and made his blood boil. There in the alley was a small boy, blond hair matted to his head by a mix of sweat and blood, crying as he attempted to crawl away from the mob, all while dragging a leg behind him, clearly badly broken. The man at the front of the mob had a sick grin on his face as he very slowly stalked the child. Upon closer inspection, the wanderer recognized him as one of the chunin who had been guarding the gate earlier. _'Are you shitting me? A trained shinobi stalking a kid? Oh, that's it.'_ With that, he removed his hat, revealing his brown hair tied in a high pony tail and eyes the same blue-green color as the sea, and his cloak, revealing his mouth in a vicious sneer and a scar on his left cheek running from the corner of his mouth clear to his ear. His face was quite young, most likely in his late teens. Then he pulled his sword from his back, revealing a 48" blade, before jumping down into the alley between the kid and the chunin.

"Who the hell are you?" the shocked and intoxicated chunin managed to ask this stranger between him and the demon.

"That is twice you have asked me that question, and I shall not answer you this time either," he said back in his emotionless, professional voice. "You have two options. First, you and the mob behind you can apologize to this child and disperse, and I will be far too concerned with getting this boy medical treatment to pursue you or to find any authorities," now he paused, as a slight smirk began to appear at the corner of his mouth and a little bit of rage found its way into his voice as he continued. "Second, you can do me a huge favor and attack me to try and get to this child so that I can beat the shit out of every last one of you before I take this boy for treatment."

At this point, he was shocked to hear a small voice from behind him. "E-ex-excuse me, b-b-but are you really here to help me?"

At this, the stranger looked back over his shoulder, keeping one eye on the mob in front of him and a small, sad smile formed on his face. "You can bet on that, little man. I want you to do me a big favor and stay behind me. I promise you this, if there is still breath in my lungs and my heart continues to beat, then these people will not be getting past me." A look of relief and shock flashed across the boys face before he passed out. The stranger, now more pissed than ever, turned his attention back to the mob. "Screw it. Option one is gone. You bastards ARE gonna pay!"

With that, he charged at the lead chunin at a speed the drunk shinobi couldn't hope to keep up with, and brought his sword into his chest, launching his limp body into the crowd. The civilians in the crowd were terrified and took off running, but the remaining shinobi, six of them, moved in to attack. The stranger, knowing he was outnumbered, stayed in the narrow alley way to minimize their numbers advantage. For their part, the shinobi began throwing kunai and shuriken at him, to take advantage of his limited room to dodge and the fact that he was forced to stand in front of the boy to protect him from the projectiles. After seeing him effortlessly deflect every weapon thrown at him with his blade, they decided to try a different tact. Two of them charged him while three others peppered him with more kunai as the last attempted to sneak up the building to drop into the alley behind him. However, it was all for naught. The two who charged barely got into the alley before receiving similar treatment to the first chunin, as they both took the blade directly across their chests, launching them at the two throwing projectiles. When those two jumped up to dodge, they were shocked to see this swordsman appear in front them before planting his sandals in each of their faces, breaking their noses and launching them head first into the concrete below, while launching himself at the last ninja who was still in the process of scaling the building only to be sent flying to ground when the hilt of the sword was brought down on his forehead, launching him to the pavement in a similar fashion. The entire fight had take a little less than a minute. Just as the wanderer began to approach the boy again, he spun around, sword at the ready as four figures in white animal masks appeared. _'Shit. Anbu. This can't get much worse.'_ He then began to curse himself for jinxing it, as a fifth ninja appeared. This one an old man in a white robe and with a large white hat on. At seeing him, the stranger instantly dropped his sword and fell to one knee with his head bowed and a fist on the ground and resumed his monotone, emotionless voice, "Lord Hokage. My sincerest apologies for any trouble I have caused. My intent was simply to pass through, but I could not turn a blind eye to this child's situation."

If he'd been looking up, he'd have seen the Hokage flash a small smile, only for an instant, before becoming all business again. "While I appreciate you helping one of our young citizens, I cannot turn a blind eye to the seven dead chunin which surround us."

"With all due respect, Lord Hokage, there is no reason any of them should die if they receive medical attention soon. They are all battered and broken, but not dead." As if to confirm what the stranger had said, the first chunin began to cough blood and moan.

"Take these men to an Anbu hospital. Once they've recovered, send them to Ibiki."

"Yes, Lord Hokage!" With that, the four Anbu and seven chunin were gone, leaving only the Hokage, the boy, and the ronin.

With a whistle from the Hokage, the ronin's head came up and another Anbu, this one in a dog mask, appeared. "Inu, you will take Naruto to the hospital and guard him while he is there until I tell you otherwise."

"Of course, Lord Hokage." Once again, the Anbu and the child disappeared in an instant.

"And as for you, I have quite a bit to discuss with you, if you'd be so kind as to follow me to my office," the Hokage said to the ronin, with a look of interest on his face.

At this, the swordsman felt the headache he knew this incident would give him quickly mounting its way to migraine status. _'I don't see this going smoothly for me. Oh well, at least he didn't kill me on the spot.'_ "As you wish, Lord Hokage. Would it be possible to have someone get my hat and cloak from on that building there?"

The Hokage could barely suppress a chuckle at the question. "Certainly. They will be delivered to my office shortly. Now, if you would be so kind." With that, the Hokage extended his hand. When the confused ronin finally worked up the courage to take his hand, both were obscured by a swirl of leaves before appearing in a large office. "Now, if you'll take a seat, I have a few questions I'd like to ask. I'd appreciate it, obviously, if you would be honest with me. If I get the slightest indication you're not, then I will have no choice but to turn you over to our interrogation unit."

**_Thanks everyone for reading. The second chapter should be up soon. I can't make any promises about how regularly there will be updates, but I can say that reviews, especially ones that give me things to work on improving, are huge motivation._**


	2. Chapter 2

**_A/N: Welcome to chapter 2. I still don't own Naruto._**

**Chapter 2: The Ronin's New Gig**

At this, the swordsman felt the headache he knew this incident would give him quickly mounting its way to migraine status. _'I don't see this going smoothly for me. Oh well, at least he didn't kill me on the spot.'_ "As you wish, Lord Hokage. Would it be possible to have someone get my hat and cloak from on that building there?"

The Hokage could barely suppress a chuckle at the question. "Certainly. They will be delivered to my office shortly. Now, if you would be so kind." With that, the Hokage extended his hand. When the confused ronin finally worked up the courage to take his hand, both were obscured by a swirl of leaves before appearing in a large office. "Now, if you'll take a seat, I have a few questions I'd like to ask. I'd appreciate it, obviously, if you would be honest with me. If I get the slightest indication you're not, then I will have no choice but to turn you over to our interrogation unit."

"Understood, Lord Hokage." At this point, a brief flash of concern and sadness played out in the boys eyes, but not quick enough for the Hokage to miss it. "I will answer everything you ask truthfully, but there are some questions which I either cannot or will not answer. If that means interrogation, so be it, but just as you must do what you believe best for your village, I must do what I feel best for myself."

"Hmm," the aged Hokage wanted to give the man the benefit of the doubt, considering what he'd done for Naruto, but with his obviously impressive skill set, he couldn't afford to just give him a free pass either. "We'll see. That will depend a great deal on the nature of question you refuse to answer." Seeing the man nod in understanding, the Hokage began. "First, why don't you introduce yourself?"

"I am Ken Heiwa from the Heiwa clan. I am not a ninja, though I have some training in chakra development and use. The Heiwa clan were samurai trained in ninja tactics to be used as an elite body guard service for those who either could not or would not go to a hidden village for protection. I am 19 years old and began my training at the age of three. I killed my first ninja when I was six. I began wandering throughout the elemental nations six years ago, offering my services as a personal bodyguard to other travelers in exchange for a meal when reaching their destination."

'_Shocking. For all his desire not to answer certain questions, he was very forthcoming on this one.'_ And indeed, the aged Hokage was right. To get so much information from simply asking for a general introduction was more than he had bargained for. However, when he reflected on some of what was shared, it did bring up other questions. "I notice you referred to your clan in the past tense. Might I ask what happened?"

Once again, sadness flashed across Ken's face, only to be replaced by his stoic, emotionless self again in a matter of seconds. "If possible, that would be one of the questions I'd prefer not to answer. Please simply accept that my use of the past tense was not an accident."

"My apologies, Ken." At this, Ken gave a small, sad smile, having been surprised by the genuine sadness in the Hokage's voice. "I'd like to know what your training actually consisted of. I don't need any specific techniques, but I'm curious as to your skill level and proficiencies."

"With all due respect, Lord Hokage," he said, unable to hide the slight anxiety in his voice, "I'm not sure of the relevance. It's not like I am a leaf ninja, after all."

At this, the wizened old man could only chuckle. "Very well, perhaps I shall return to that question, depending on how you answer this one." After he allowed the confusion to settle firmly on Ken's face, he continued. "Why did you involve yourself with Naruto?"

"Lord Hokage, may I speak freely?" he asked, with a serious look on his face.

Both the tone and the look on his face caught the Hokage slightly off guard. "Of course. I prefer that you do."

"Very well then." Ken closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then all but shouted at the Hokage, "What the HELL do you mean why did I involve myself? What kind of a sick bastard do you think I am? He's a damned CHILD and those bastards were gonna kill him! I may not be an angel, but even the devil himself wouldn't stand idly by while crap like that was going on! While I have permission to speak freely, what the HELL took you so long to get there? Why is it that a mass of people can beat the shit out of a child, and you and your damned elite guard doesn't show up 'til some trained warriors are getting some sense beat into them?" Having gotten that off his chest, Ken closed his eyes again, slowed his breathing and prepared to hear the death sentence he knew was coming. Only, it never came.

No, instead the sound which got Ken to open his eyes was the sound of the Hokage chuckling. When the Hokage saw the confused look on Ken's face, he began to explain, still fighting his chuckles, "My apologies. Your answer was far better than anything I could have hoped for. As to your last question," at this, the Hokage ceased laughing, and instead let out a heavy sigh before continuing, "the truth is that most of the village hates the boy for reasons beyond his control or understanding. Only myself and a handful of loyal ninja recognize the truth in what you just said. With there being so few of us, and so many things which require my attention, unfortunately I am not always able to respond in time."

The shock on Ken's face had gradually changed to anger. Gritting his teeth to keep himself under control, he asked, "Are you telling me this isn't the first time this crap has happened?"

"Sadly, that is precisely what I am telling you." At this point, he developed the beginning of a smile again. "However, this does bring me back to my previous question about your skills. Allow me to explain the relevance to you. You are right, you are not a shinobi of the leaf, nor will you likely ever be. That is precisely what makes you perfect for what I have in mind. Since you are not a shinobi, you can never be sent on missions, and you would be working directly under me. No interference from the council, clans, or elders. But I would need to have the utmost confidence in your abilities."

"What job are you speaking of, exactly?" asked the confused as ever Ken.

"I would like to personally hire you as Naruto's bodyguard. This would be a long term job, mind you. Not for his entire life, but at least until he graduates the academy and becomes a genin. At that point he should hopefully be better able to protect himself."

To say he was stunned would be the understatement of the century. In spite of his shock, he still managed to list off his self assessment of his skills. "I probably have low jonin chakra levels, high jonin control. My taijutsu is probably high chunin, but my sword skills I would be confident putting up against anyone, even Kage level. My only techniques are chakra enhanced muscles and senses, and several unique sword techniques that most people only ever see once." Here, Ken finally shook off his shock enough to ask the Hokage a couple questions. "But wait, before this goes any further, I think I'm entitled to some answers as well. For starters, why does everyone hate Naruto?"

A dark look passed over the Hokage's face, making Ken more curious but slightly terrified that he may have crossed a line. "Very well. I suppose you are entitled to know why he needs protection. However, what I am about to tell you is an S class secret, and anyone who speaks of it will be executed. Do I make myself sufficiently clear?" Once Ken nodded, he continued. "Are you familiar with the nine bijuu?"

"Of course. They are the stuff of nightmares for everyone."

"Indeed. Well, four years ago, the mightiest of the tailed beasts, the Kyuubi, attacked Konoha. My successor and predecessor, the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, gave his life to seal the beast away. However, the only vessel which could contain such a power was a newborn infant." Here the old man trailed off, as he watched the light of recognition dawn on Ken's face. Now would be the real test, how would the man react?

"So then, that child was Naruto?" Seeing the nod of the Hokage, Ken balled his hand into a fist and slammed it down on the arm of his chair. "Bastards! I should have killed every last one of them! As if the boy doesn't have enough problems waiting for him down the road. Those sons of bitches decided to torture a child who is, quite literally, the only thing keeping the beast from tearing them apart. Besides, the only way the beast would get loose is if they piss the kid off bad enough for the damned fox to take over! Damned morons."

Once again, the Hokage couldn't help his smile. "Ken, I believe there could be nobody better qualified for the job of being Naruto's bodyguard. If you'll take the job, I'll pay you from my own household and provide you an apartment to live in. It won't be anything fancy, but it is in the same complex as Naruto. Literally next door, in fact. Are you interested?"

"Lord Hokage, if Naruto is willing to accept the arrangement, I will gladly give my sword and my life to his service until he is able to defend himself."

At this, the Hokage smiled warmly. "Ken, Naruto is like family to me. If you are willing to protect him, then so are you. Please, call me Sarutobi."

Now it was Ken's turn to smile. "Of course, Sarutobi."

"Well then, let us go see how young Naruto is doing and inform him of the arrangements." At this point, an Anbu appeared in the room, setting down Ken's hat and cloak, and whispering something in Sarutobi's ear, which brought another shocked look onto his face. "Before that though, perhaps you could enlighten me as to why two of my Anbu are being treated for chakra burns after trying to bring you your sword?"

Ken chuckled somewhat sheepishly, "Hehe, sorry 'bout that. There was a reason I didn't ask you to bring my sword with my hat and cloak, though. Matomeyaku is very picky. She lashes out at any chakra signature other than mine that attempts to wield her."

Sarutobi just shook his head, still smiling. "Very well then, let's go pick up your temperamental sword and then go visit Naruto."

After a quick stop by the alley to get his sword, Ken was brought to Naruto's room, where he was shocked to see the boy sitting up and staring out the window, physically almost healed already. _'This must be thanks to the Kyuubi.'_

When Naruto saw Sarutobi, he literally jumped out of the bed and ran to him. "Gramps! I'm glad you're here!"

The old man chuckled, both at the boy's response and at Ken's obvious shock to see someone talking to strongest man in the village that way. "It's good to see you as well, Naruto. Now, do you recognize this man?"

Naruto looked behind the Hokage and saw Ken, now in his cloak and hat. He backed away, looking very nervous, until he heard the man chuckle a little and speak, "Forgot me already, eh, little man?"

Once Naruto heard the nickname that his savior had given him earlier, the light came on in his head, and he ran up and hugged the man's leg, his head only a little higher than the man's knee. "Is it really you, mister? Are you the one who saved me?"

Ken took off the hat and undid the buttons on his cloak, dropped to a knee to be closer to the boy's level, and looked him in the eye with a big smile, "That's right, little man. It's really me. My name's Ken Heiwa, but you can call me Ken. Now, I have a question for you, Naruto." Waiting to make sure he had the boys full attention, he continued, "I'm new to the village, and I'm moving into your apartment complex. I'm gonna need someone to help me figure out where everything is, and the Hokage said you were just the man for the job. So, you cool with me following you around for a few years?" Naruto's eyes got as big as dinner plates before he practically tackled Ken in a giant hug. "Haha! I guess that's a yes, eh little man?"

Naruto let go of the hug to look his new friend in the eye, "Can I ask you a question, Mr. Ken?"

Ken couldn't help chuckling a bit at the boy, "Sure thing Mr. Naruto, ask away."

Naruto began scratching the back of his head, and looked off to the side, "Well, um, I was just kinda wondering, if, well, you know, unless you don't want to, but um, well, could I, maybe sometimes, sorta, call you brother?"

Ken saw the anxiety on the boy's face, but also the hope. He couldn't help but grin even bigger when he answered, "You got it, bro. In fact, I'd love it if you think of me as your brother."

This got the biggest, happiest smile Ken had ever seen in his life as his newly dubbed little bro once again hug tackled him, sending the entire room into laughter. Sarutobi couldn't help a few happy tears at seeing Naruto truly happy. Though he couldn't help but wonder whether or not Ken really understood just what he had signed up for by becoming Naruto's unofficial brother.

**_A/N: Alright. Another chapter done. I'm hoping to have Chapter 3 up in a week or so, but no promises. Like it? Hate it? Either way, let me know what you think._**


	3. Chapter 3

**_A/N: Hey everyone, here's the new chapter. The goal is weekly updates, but that's not a promise, just a target. I still don't own Naruto._**

**Chapter 3: The Power of One**

Around two and a half years later finds two brothers who look nothing alike sitting in their favorite restaurant, Ichiraku's Ramen, enjoying lunch and a conversation with the owner and his young daughter. The younger, blond brother was, as usual, begging his older bro to teach him how to fight, while the older brother kept insisting that there was no reason to be in such a hurry.

"Come on, bro! You're an awesome fighter! Why won't you teach me?" demanded Naruto with an extremely angry glare.

"Whoa there, little man. You better crank down the intensity on that one, you almost look serious!" cracked Ken, clearly having a good time getting a rise out of his brother, much to the amusement of Teuchi and Ayame. Ken got a somber look on his face before continuing, "I've told you before, when you start the academy, you'll have the rest of your life to fight. For now, why don't you just enjoy being a kid for a bit? Trust me, the grass isn't always greener on the other side."

Naruto's face changed from a glare to a pout. "Who cares about the grass? I'm gonna be Hokage someday, so I need to know how to fight!"

Ken just let out a sigh, before turning to face Naruto and asking, "Look, bro, I know it's your dream to be Hokage. But why? I mean, yeah, the Hokage is the strongest ninja in the village, but still, his life is mostly boring meetings and paperwork. Why would you want that?"

Not missing a beat, Naruto jumped into a standing position on his stool, and with a voice holding far more passion than anyone believed a boy his age could have, declared, "I don't care! Everyone respects the Hokage, and I am gonna show all those people who've disrespected me that they were wrong! Even more than that, though, the old man always protects everyone. I want that strength, I want to be able to protect everyone precious to me, just like you do for me, bro!"

_**Flashback to the festival one year after Ken moved in**_

Naruto and Ken were walking back to their apartment after a fun filled day at the Kyuubi festival. Sure, Naruto had noticed all the dirty looks the two were getting, but Ken didn't pay it any attention, and as long as his big bro was there, Naruto was sure nothing bad would happen. Sure enough, anytime someone got a little too intense with the glare, or looked like they were going to speak up, a quick death glare from Ken sent them back on their way. Now that they had had their fun, Ken said it was time for bed. Naruto didn't know what it was, but something seemed slightly off with Ken, like he was in a hurry for some reason. Naruto found out why once they reached the street their apartment was on. In between the boys and their home were five ninja, one of whom had a jonin vest. As Ken turned to go back, another five ninjas rounded that corner.

"Just hand over the brat and we'll call it a night," slurred the jonin. "Otherwise, I don't really mind the idea of killing you both instead."

"And what makes you think I'd ever give my little bro to a drunken fool like yourself?" Ken asked as he pulled Naruto in close behind him.

"You aren't even really broth…" was all one of chunin was able to get out before Ken buried his fist in his stomach, making him spew blood before passing out.

"I don't recommend dismissing our family," Ken practically growled, with his face taking on a blank and professional look Naruto had only ever seen a couple times.

"Quick! While he's over there get the dem.." began another chunin, only to be stopped midsentence by Ken's sandal connecting with his jaw, shattering it on impact. This time, however, Ken didn't pause to speak. Instead, in a series of attacks which Naruto could only see as a series of blurs, each ending with an unconscious chunin, Ken reappeared by Naruto with only the pissed off and drunken jonin remaining.

"I also don't recommend you hurl any more idiotic insults at him," he said, his voice now matching his expression, completely devoid of any emotion. In Naruto's opinion, this version of his brother was way scarier than when he was upset and yelling.

"Please. Your stupid dull blade might be enough to stop a couple chunin, but I'm a jonin. Don't expect this to be easy," the jonin yelled at him as he hurled a handful of shuriken and kunai at the pair.

His voice still devoid of emotion, Ken shook his head and replied, "Now you've really done it. Insulting me is no problem, insult Naruto and you pay, but Matomeyaku is very sensitive, and she demands death for any who insult her." With this, Ken pulsed his chakra into the sword, causing a shift in the blade. It was subtle, but standing right next to it, Naruto could tell the blade was now _much_ sharper. Sure enough, with no effort at all, Ken sliced through each thrown projectile as though they were warm butter. "Care to apologize? It may yet save your life."

"Hah! Not likely." With that, the jonin pulled another kunai and charged at Ken, only to disappear from sight just before they should have collided. Ken looked up quickly, expecting see the jonin, but instead finding the empty night sky. "Think again!" was all he heard, giving him just enough time to dodge the kunai stab coming from behind him, though not entirely. Rather than hitting him in the spine, it was instead lodge in his shoulder. Refusing to give the ninja the satisfaction of hearing him cry out, he simply gritted his teeth and threw the kunai to the side. As the two rushed at each other yet again, they both realized they had forgotten something very important as Naruto picked up the discarded kunai, and threw it at the ninja. It was easily dodged, but the drunken jonin's rage got the best of him, and he took his attention off of Ken and charged at Naruto. "Die, you damned monster!" he screamed as he prepared to bury another kunai in Naruto's chest. Before he could begin his downswing, however, a blade tore through his shoulder like the bone and muscle weren't even there. While he was crying out in pain, Ken sent another chakra pulse through Matomeyaku, dulling the blade again before swinging the now blunt club into the base of the man's skull, knocking him out cold.

_**Flashback end**_

While the council attempted to press charges against Ken and Naruto for attacking Konoha shinobi, Ibiki's interrogations corroborated Ken's version of the story. The jonin had not yet been able to tell his side of the story, as the man was still in a coma and had almost certainly suffered permanent brain damage as a result of the hit to his head.

Placing his hand on his chin like he was in deep thought, Ken gave his little bro a quick once over. _'I'd love the little dude to have as normal a childhood as possible for as long as possible, but it'd be good for him to have some way to defend himself. After all, I can't shadow him when he goes to the academy. Oh crap. Thinking of that, all the snotty little clan bastards have probably already started their training with the clans. I can't have my bro falling behind before the race starts. Besides, his motives are solid, and the more strength he has of his own, the less likely he is to fall back on the damned fox.'_ Nodding to himself over the decision he had made, he looked at Naruto again, seeing the hope welling in his eyes. "Alright bro, quit looking at me all pathetic like that. Starting tomorrow, I'm not only your bro, I'm also your slave driver. I'm gonna work you 'til you beg me to stop training you."

"No way, bro!" the blond ball of energy practically screamed with a face splitting smile. "I'll never quit, and I'll never give up!"

"Yeah yeah, that's what I like to hear," Ken said, clearly amused by his little bro's response. "All kidding aside though, there are a couple things you need to know. First, I can't teach you to be a ninja, 'cuz I ain't one. Second, I'm not gonna teach you any sword techniques until you are at least a genin, and maybe even later than that. All I can teach you are the things that cross over from my style to the world of shinobi. I'll help you increase your chakra reserves and control, and once you have that down, I'll help you learn how to use chakra to make you stronger, faster, and improve your senses."

"Really? That's awesome, bro!"

'_It's totally worth caving to see him all happy like this.'_ "Alright, little man, say bye to Mr. Ichiraku and Ayame. We have some shopping to do before we head home for the night," he said as he put down the money for the twenty bowls of ramen the two had consumed. _'Man, we really need to learn a little restraint. A couple more visits like this and I'll have blown my wages for the month. But then again, it's totally worth it.'_ It hadn't taken Ken long to find that Teuchi and Ayame were two of the few people who really looked out for Naruto, so he did everything he could to help their business, and he also made a point of helping 'educate' some of the citizenry who thought targeting the stand for graffiti would be a good idea. With the bill paid, and a happy wave good bye from Naruto, they walked to the grocer's before they returned to the apartment. As they walked into the store they were greeted by a smile from the owner. Naruto still had trouble believing what a turnaround had happened in such a short time. Sure, even the kid could tell it was a forced and phony smile, but on some level that made it even sweeter for the boy.

_**Flashback to 2 Days after Ken arrived**_

"Hey bro, you gonna help me with the shopping or what?" Ken asked with mild concern, seeing his new little brother hanging back at the corner of the street.

"Um, nah, I think I'll just wait out here. I'll help you carry them back though!" the boy sheepishly offered, his face and voice both clearly showing a fake happiness that Ken saw through.

With a heavy sigh, Ken walked over to Naruto, undid the buttons on his cloak, tilted his hat back, and knelt down to look Naruto in the eye. "Listen up, little man. If we're going to be bros, you've gotta trust me. So tell me, why won't you go into the store?" Naruto was torn. On the one hand, he didn't want to hurt his new brother by lying to him, but he was too ashamed to tell him that the store owner refused him service and chased him out with a broom, causing the little boy to run crying in front of the other laughing customers. Seeing the distress written clearly on the boy's face, Ken decided to try another approach. "Tell ya what, how 'bout a compromise?" When he saw the boys face relax and look into his, he continued, "You don't worry about telling me what happened, but you still come with me. You hold my hand, guiding me to the things you like, so I can make an awesome dinner, and I renew my promise. Do you remember what I promised you?"

Naruto's grin came back full force as he nodded his head and repeated with love and pride the oath he heard the first time he met Ken. "If there is still breath in your lungs and your heart continues to beat, then these people will not be getting past you."

"Damn right, bro! And I never break my promise. Ready to go in?" he asked, extending one hand for the boy to hold while the other ruffled his golden locks. After getting a nod and a small hand in the folds of his much larger one, Ken and Naruto entered the shop. The shopkeeper first smiled at Ken, but quickly changed to a scowl when he recognized the demon brat clinging to his hand.

Now, the owner was an aged man and a long retired ninja. He was never very strong, never making it past genin, but still, ninjas don't reach retirement age by being stupid. That being said, he knew better than to chase the boy out of the store again, but figured he'd settle for gouging them with his prices. He waited patiently while they picked out their supplies, a mix of vegetables, a couple fish, and some fruit. It made his blood boil watching the two apparently joking around, as the elder of the two would reach down with a free hand to tap the demon on the shoulder, just to move to the other side before the little devil knew what was happening. Sure, with any other kid the old man would be amused, but he knew better. In spite of the boy's appearance, he was nothing more than the Kyuubi. As he watched them approach the counter, he put on his best salesman smile and addressed the pair. "Hello young sirs. I take it you found everything you needed?" Receiving a nod from the elder of the two, he looked over the two bags worth of groceries quickly, saw that it was probably only about 100 worth of goods, and announced, "That'll be 300 please."

"I beg your pardon, sir. I believe that the prices listed on these items were about one third of that. Care to explain the difference to me?" Ken said in his all business voice, once again making Naruto a little nervous.

The old shopkeeper recognized it as well, but maintained a strong front. "I'm sorry sir, but this is my shop, and I may charge what I like to who I like. If you feel my prices unfair, then I welcome you to try my competition."

Ken looked down to Naruto and said in a happy tone of voice, "Hey, Naruto, I forgot to get carrots. Why don't you go grab a few real quick while big bro and this nice man have a conversation?" Seeing Naruto start to get nervous and looking at the hand he had held since before they entered the store, Ken tried to soothe his worries. "Don't worry, bro. You'll be in sight the whole time, and like I said, I'll never break my promise." Still a little anxious, Naruto decided he trusted his bro more than he was scared, so went to do as he was told. No sooner had Naruto left his side than Ken turned back to the merchant. "Listen well, because I only have time to say this once. I know about how you bastards have been treating Naruto, but that's done now. I don't want any damned discounts, and I don't want any trouble, but if you think I'm gonna sit here and let you bully my new little bro, you have another thing coming." Seeing the old man getting ready to speak, he held his hand up, signaling the old man to keep his mouth shut. He lifted up the brim of his hat just enough for the old timer to see his eyes before he continued. "I assume you heard about the seven chunin defeated on the night of the festival? About the stranger who stepped in and saved Naruto?" Seeing the man nod slowly, and also seeing Naruto starting to make his way back with the carrots, he leaned in close to the old man and whispered dangerously, "Just one more question. You ever seen me before, old timer?" Stepping back to get the carrots from Naruto with a smile on his face, he then looked back at the clerk to see the man sweating bullets, clearly having pieced together what this man was saying. Back in his all business voice, Ken asked the clerk, "So now, with the carrots here, how much will it be?"

With a forced and terrified smile, the shopkeeper stuttered out, "Th-that'll b-be 105, p-please s-sir."

"Excellent!" Ken said, his voice now jovial and friendly. "Here's 120. By all means, keep it. Consider it a thank you for your present and future services." The old man simply nodded his head, keeping the smile in place, until the two left the store and he finally released the breath he'd been holding.

_**End flashback**_

Ever since that incident, Naruto had never been refused service or overcharged on anything, even if he went into a store by himself, anywhere in the village. Naruto had asked Ken what he had said to the old man, but Ken would only laugh and say, "Grown up talk, bro. Don't worry about it." Now that the two had their shopping done, Ken handed all the bags to Naruto. Before the boy could even begin to pout, though, Ken had swung the boy up to sit on his shoulders. "How's that, bro? You carry the groceries and I'll carry you? Sound good?"

He couldn't help but laugh when the six year old started laughing. "Works for me, bro! But are you sure? I mean, I can still walk."

"Hey, if I didn't want to do it, I wouldn't have. Besides, we both know you're way too slow!" It took all his will not fall down laughing when he heard the angry 'hmph!' from above him. "You know I'm messing with you, bro. Besides, once we get started on your training, the only thing that will ever slow you down is yourself. Remember this Naruto, nobody is born great. We are all born good, but from there, it's up to us to become great. I'll never give up on you unless you, so you can't give up on yourself. Deal?"

Without a moment's hesitation, the boy practically shouted, "Deal!" But then something made him pause. "Hey bro, how come you go back and forth between joking and serious all the time?"

Ken just laughed. "You know something, bro? I have no idea. Guess I've always just been that way. Anyway, we're home. Let's keep this stuff in your place."

Naruto just chuckled a little at his weird brother. _'Yeah, he's weird, but he's the coolest bro ever!'_ "Sure thing, bro." As they opened the door, Naruto couldn't believe how clean the place was. It wasn't spotless, but come on, it's a bachelor pad. Especially since the bachelor is a little kid, what do you expect? What blew Naruto's mind was that he hadn't even had to clean it for two weeks. Not too long ago, he gave up on cleaning the place because at least once every few days everything would be trashed when the villagers broke in. Now, well, now there hadn't been a break in since that night two years ago.

_**Flashback to two years ago, a couple months after the store**_

The brothers had just left their favorite spot, Ichiraku's, and were ready to call it a night after a day of fun at the park. Naruto still couldn't believe that his new big bro was willing to push him on the swings for so long. All in all, it was one of the best days of Naruto's life. Admittedly, the standard hadn't been set too high. Regardless, both were in extremely high spirits. Until, that is, they got to the doors of their apartments. Both doors were destroyed, as well as almost everything in the apartments. The wall connecting the two had a humongous hole in it, all the furniture was in pieces, and the walls were covered in spray paint. Lovely messages like, "Go to hell, demon spawn!" and "Why don't you just die!" and Ken's personal favorite, "Death to the demon and his devil guardian!" While Ken was only slightly annoyed, he could see his little bro was badly shaken. He decided it looked like another case for Super Bro, as he had taken to calling himself in his own head. "Can you believe these pranksters? Crazy jokers," he announced with a laugh. Naruto looked around, confused. A joke? Was he out of his mind? "Don't worry about it bro, it's late, you go take a shower and get ready for bed. By the time you're done, it'll all be fine again. Don't you worry." Seeing the disbelief written on the boy's face, he said the words that Naruto knew by heart, but never got tired of hearing. "Naruto, if there is still breath in my lungs and my heart continues to beat, then these people will not be getting past me. This is my promise to you, and I'll never break my promise." Naruto wiped his eyes, gave his brother the biggest hug he had ever given and then went to shower with a smile on his face.

About thirty minutes later, Naruto came out to the living room in his sleeping clothes, looking for his bro, and boy did he find him. There was his bro, with his coat and hat off, Matomeyaku resting on his shoulder, supervising the work of six badly bruised and beaten chunin as they put the finishing touches on the wall repairs, polished the floors, put the new furniture in place, and repainted the walls that had been tagged.

_**End flashback**_

After they were done, Ken had warned them all that if anyone, them or others, ever "pranked" he and Naruto again, he would hunt these six down personally and carve the word prankster into their foreheads with Matomeyaku. After the chunin scampered out, quaking with fear, Ken turned to his little bro with a huge smile and said, "See? I told you it was just a couple jokers."

Tonight, no jokers had made an appearance, so Naruto went and got ready for bed while Ken put the groceries away. When Naruto was ready for bed, Ken came and tucked him snugly into his bed. "Sleep well, little man. Tomorrow, you get your wish. You get to enter hell, so you'd better be ready."

"Hey, I'm your bro! There's no way I won't be able to handle anything you throw at me! That's a promise. And I never break my promises, that's my ninja way!"

Ken just chuckled. "Sounds familiar, bro." Naruto got a hint of a blush, having been caught stealing his brother's creed. "No worries, bro. I'm honored that you'd want to adopt my way." As the boy's smile came back full force, he couldn't hold back his yawn. Chuckling at his little brother's sleepiness, Ken repeated what had become their nightly routine. "Always remember, little bro, if there is breath in my lungs and my heart continues to beat, then these people will not be getting past me. This is my promise to you, and I'll never break my promise." With that, he finished tucking the boy in, ruffled his hair and turned to exit the room.

Just as he reached the door way, he heard Naruto say, "Hey bro? Thanks. I won't let you down, I'll get strong, and when I'm Hokage, I'll protect you just like you protect me."

Ken felt a feeling that had become shockingly familiar to him, a feeling that he had thought he'd never feel again a mere two years ago. He felt peace. "Sounds good, little man. Tomorrow, you take the first step towards that. Now, get to sleep." After hearing his brother's yawn, he turned off the lights, and went to his normal resting place, the door to Naruto's apartment. _'The little man's already stronger than me where it counts most. I swear, mom, dad, I'll do everything I can to help him. As long as there is breath in my lungs and my heart continues to beat, no one will be hurting him. This is my promise to you, and I will never break my promise again.'_ And with that, the two brothers drifted into the land of dreams.

**_Well, what did you think? Let me know. I want to do a good job, so if you saw something you liked, let me know so I can keep it going. If there's something that needs work, let me know so I can work on it._**


	4. Chapter 4

**_A/N: Here's the latest installment of Ripples. I don't own Naruto or any characters/settings/etc. from the Narutoverse._**

**_Thanks to those of you who have reviewed. I am really trying to incorporate the things I'm told, so please follow up and let me know if you feel like I addressed the issues._**

**Chapter 4: Academy Days**

Naruto's training with Ken had gone shockingly well. The kid wasn't a genius, but he was dedicated. By the time he'd been enrolled at the Academy, he'd already mastered tree climbing, was working on water walking, had learned all the basics of Ken's Shinken taijutsu, which was basically an adaptation of Ken's sword techniques designed to make a smooth transition between hand to hand and sword combat, and had been training with chakra weights on his wrists and ankles totaling 40 pounds of extra weight. Until Ken was willing to start training him with the sword, there was little more to do than keep building what he already had learned. In Ken's mind, though, the most impressive thing of all was that Naruto had been true to his word. Never once, in the admittedly brutal training, had Naruto ever complained or quit. On multiple occasions, in fact, Ken had been forced to knock the boy out just to get him to go to sleep for the night. Perhaps Ken's biggest achievement, on the other hand, had been convincing Naruto that he should hold off entering the academy for an extra two years. It took a two hour meeting with both Ken and the Hokage explaining to Naruto that it was actually because Naruto was "too awesome," as Ken had put it. That had calmed him down quite a bit, and Ken then explained that, until Naruto had at least a decent grasp of the water walking test, he simply had too much chakra and not enough control for the academy jutsu. But now, they had stalled as long as they possibly could. Naruto was now able to stand on the water, and even make it half way across the pond before falling in.

But today was the beginning of the true test. It was Naruto's first day at the Academy, and while he was anxious to show what he could do, he was also nervous. After all, he remembered how things were before his brother showed up, and the idea of being surrounded by a bunch of people he didn't know without Ken there was tough for him. "You ok there, little man?" Ken's concerned question pulled him out of his thoughts and he realized he was almost to the entrance of the school. "You kinda spaced out on me there, bro. Ah, is my widdle brudder scurred about his first day?" That snapped him out of it. Naruto crossed his arms over his chest and gave Ken a serious glare. Of course, the glare only got more intense when Ken laughed at him. "Haha! That's more like it. Welcome back, Naruto. I was wondering where you went." Ken then tilted back his hat and got down to Naruto's eye level before continuing, "Look, I know it's tough. Starting at a new place, not knowing anyone, and all that. But trust me on this, you'll be more than fine. Don't worry about impressing anyone, just be you. And hell, if anyone crosses you, just prank them. In fact, that's your new training mission from me. Over these next four years at the academy, I want you to prank everyone who crosses you, student and teacher alike. But you can't get caught. If they catch you, then I'm going to go all out on you in our sparring sessions with Matomeyaku."

Naruto's eyes widened, first from shock at being given an order to prank, and then fear at the idea of getting a beat down from Ken's sword. Then an idea occurred to him. "Ok bro, but what do I get if I don't get caught?"

Ken stood up and began scratching his chin, having not really thought about a reward for success. "Alright little man, I think I have just the thing. If you pull off your pranks without them being able to prove you did it for this whole year, I'll start training you in sword play. Every year that you succeed, I'll up the training. If you make it through all four years, I'll even forge you your very own Heiwa blade."

Naruto's jaw hit the ground. "A Heiwa blade? You mean it? I'll get a sword like Matomeyaku?"

"Kind of, but not really," Ken started to explain. "I'll explain it more as we get closer, but every Heiwa blade is different, it's a reflection of the one who wields it."

"Well then, you better get started on that sword, bro!" shouted Naruto, at his normal volume. Of course, that meant it was loud enough that most of Konoha heard it.

Ken just shook his head and chuckled. "We'll see about that, alright? But seriously man, remember, be yourself. You're the strongest little dude around, and nothing this school can throw at you can keep you down unless you give up. And if I'm not mistaken, I vaguely remember someone promising me they'd never quit."

"Damn straight I did! And I never break my promises!" declared Naruto, now fully recovered and ready for whatever would be coming his way.

"Alright then little man, I'll be back at the end of the day. Try not to get into too much trouble while I'm gone." With that, Ken left for the Hokage Tower. Sarutobi had called him in, saying something about finding something for Ken to do with his spare time. After being escorted into the office, Ken waited patiently while the Hokage finished some of the mountains of paperwork piled high on his desk.

"Thank you for coming, Ken. If you'll give me just one second," said Sarutobi as he went through a series of hand signs to set up a privacy jutsu. "There, now we can speak. How did Naruto handle you dropping him off at the academy?"

"Eh, the little man was pretty out of it at first. But we took care of it." Ken laughed lightly before continuing, "You'd be surprised what a little brotherly taunting can do to drag someone out of a funk."

The aged Hokage chuckled and shook his head. "You have truly done wonders for the boy, Ken. If he goes through the academy at the normal pace, he'll be a genin in four years," he continued, with his face and voice both becoming more serious and somber, "and your job as his bodyguard will be at an end."

Ken's face dropped as well, accompanied by a sigh. "I know, and I've been thinking about that a lot. I've grown rather attached to the little man over the years, but at the same time, I've already stuck around here way longer than I had ever intended to. Besides, I really don't have a way to make money here, and before you even offer, I refuse to take handouts."

The Hokage gave a slight nod in understanding, before the corner of his mouth began to turn up slightly into the beginnings of a smirk. "If I could provide you with another job, would you be interested?"

Ken couldn't hide his shock. "Um, well…What kind of job?"

"Oh, don't worry about that too much for now. We have four years to sort that out still. I just need to know if you would be willing to stick around. In the meantime," Sarutobi continued, his smirk now at full force, "I was thinking that, what with all your spare time while Naruto is in class, perhaps you could provide lessons in swordsmanship to some of our current genin and chunnin. It will, of course, come with a substantial pay increase."

For the first time in years, Ken looked at the Hokage with his emotionless visage before speaking in the matching tone, "Lord Hokage, while I am indebted to you and your village for the kindness you have shown to me, my family's techniques are not something which I have any intention of passing on to people I do not know." Mentally adding, _'Especially when some of them are probably the same people who attacked Naruto.'_

"Of course not!" Sarutobi replied, apparently offended at the suggestion that he would even ask such a thing. "Ken, I have no desire to have you teach your family style of fighting. I am asking for you to help them improve their own. We have only a handful of shinobi who use anything other than the standard kunai or shuriken for weapons, at least amongst those who haven't already reached jonin level. To be completely honest with you, I figured we would use these next four years as an extended interview for you. If we see the improvement we are looking for, and the position is agreeable to you, perhaps it could serve as a means of keeping you in Konoha after Naruto graduates."

"Lord Hokage," Ken continued in his emotionless, all business voice, "If the Leaf has so few swordsmen, why push for it now?" It wasn't like Ken wasn't grateful, but he was still wary of teaching sword techniques to ninja. Naruto was one thing. After all, he's family. But other than that, his family had been specialists for fighting against ninja. The idea of helping them was pretty foreign to him.

"Two reasons, really. First and foremost," the aged Hokage replied, matching Ken's businesslike approach, "sword techniques could potentially elevate the battle capabilities of ninja who lack the chakra for powerful ninjutsu, thereby increasing our village's strength many times over. And secondly," at this point, his face softened a bit, "I can't stand the idea of Naruto losing his family if it can be helped."

That did it, Ken lost his front, dropping his head before chuckling and saying, "Ok, you got me. I'll give it a shot. I can't promise anything, and I'm not going to teach them anything other than basic stances and swings. After that, I'll coach them through spars, but they'll be on their own for developing a style to suit them."

"Excellent," came the excited reply of the elderly leader. "I will begin sending you pupils within the next week or so."

"In that case, I think I'll go wander the town for a bit and enjoy my last few days of freedom 'til then."

_**Back at the Academy**_

After getting dropped off, Naruto's day had gotten off to a rocky start. His classmate's reaction to him when he entered the room was almost entirely cold or indifferent. In spite of his big grin, the faces that were looking back at him were largely glares. _'Well, this is familiar,'_ he thought, more than a little upset at the reminder of his normal treatment from the adults in the village. The only friendly face in the room was the teacher, a chunnin with a huge scar on his nose. In his desire to get out of the line of fire, Naruto made his way to the back corner of the room. Things got a little better once the teacher, Iruka, started the lesson. Everyone was too focused on what he was saying to glare at Naruto. He wanted to pay attention, he really did, but come on, this stuff was soooooo boooooring! I mean, come on, this history stuff was a waste of time. The stuff on the Hokages was pretty cool, but the old man had already told him most of that stuff. Only his desire to stay on Iruka's good side kept him from voicing his complaints.

Instead, he settled for scanning the room. His first goal was to locate all possible quick escapes. Call it paranoia if you want, but years of barely contained hatred will do that to a child. Besides, it wasn't just in case he was attacked. He also needed to know how to get away after a prank. Once he had established all possible routes, he began to look at his fellow classmates. A few caught his eye fairly quickly.

First was the black haired kid at the front in the blue shirt. The crest on the back of his shirt was a dead giveaway. The last Uchiha, Sasuke. Naruto didn't know much about the late Uchihas, only that it was Sasuke's brother who killed them. The kid sitting there brooding didn't bother Naruto too much. Sure, it was Naruto's polar opposite, but whatever. After all, everyone deals with the crap life piles up in their own way. Naruto took to faking happiness, mainly to spite the people trying to make him miserable, and the Uchiha took a different path. Who was he to judge? What did piss him off, though, was the way most of his female classmates were reacting to the kid. _'You've gotta be kidding me! We're 8 freaking years old and the girls are already going for the bad boy crap?'_  
Sasuke's fan club was pretty non-descript for the most part, but two stood out from the rest. Mostly by pure volume. First was a girl dressed in purple with blond hair, alternating between longing stairs at Sasuke and a death glare at the pink haired girl who was apparently her main competition for Sasuke's non-existent affections. Something about the second girl, the one with pink hair, caught his eye in a big way. He couldn't put his finger on it, but for some reason he really wanted to get to know her.

After that, Naruto recognized members of some of the clans that the Hokage and Ken had talked to him about. There was a Hyuuga sitting towards the back of the class, looking very nervous about something. Every now and then, he'd catch her looking his way before snapping her head back to the front of the room. It made him a little nervous, like maybe she was planning something, but something about her face just radiated innocence. In the row in front of her was a Nara, currently asleep, next to an Akimichi, currently pounding potato chips like nobody's business, and an Inuzuka playing with his dog. Other than that, there was a boy in a trench coat with sunglasses that Naruto assumed to be an Aburame.

Just before his boredom could fully claim him and make him do something truly stupid and regrettable, Naruto heard Iruka say the words he'd been waiting for, "Alright everyone, that's enough lecture for now. Let's head outside and put some of this into practice!" Now was Naruto's time to shine!

…Or not. _'Damn it! Bro never showed me how to use weapons!'_ Sure enough, the first two exercises were throwing kunai and then shuriken. After watching the Uchiha nail 10 out of 10 like it was nothing, Naruto figured it couldn't be that tough. His confidence started to nose dive pretty bad when nobody in the next five students could hit more than three targets. Most of the kids that caught his eye did better than that though. The Nara, Akimichi, and Hyuuga each hit seven, while the Inuzuka, the blond, and the pink haired girl (Ino and Sakura, if he heard Iruka right) all hit five. Finally, it was his turn. _'Alright, no problem. Just aim and toss.'_ In spite of his little self-pep talk, he still put way too much effort into his first throw, missing the target completely. At first, a lot of the kids were getting ready to laugh, until they saw the kunai buried half way into a tree a good five yards behind the target. After flashing an exaggerated, nervous smile, he took a deep breath to compose himself, and tried again. The rest of the way was much better, he managed to hit seven of the next nine throws, putting him into a four way tie for the second best score. When trying to fit in, most people would probably try to play it off as no big deal, maybe a smile or a small fist pump. If there is one word that would never be used to describe Naruto, however, it was normal. "Damn straight! I'm awesome and it's my first time even handling the damn things!"

"NARUTO!" yelled a clearly pissed Iruka. When Naruto turned to him sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck, Iruka calmed a bit before continuing. "Naruto, that was a very good job, but try to control yourself a little, remember, a ninja needs to be stealthy, so let's try practicing that a bit, eh?"

Naruto managed to look a little bit ashamed of himself and apologized, "Sorry, Iruka. I was just really excited. I'll try to keep it in check."

Iruka, whose expression had softened considerably, turned back to the class as a whole. "Ok everyone, that was a good start. Beginning tomorrow, we'll be working on technique and helping you improve. For now, I'm going to pair you off for some taijutsu matches. These will be straight taijutsu, so no weapons or jutsus. Any questions?" Seeing the mix of anxious and nervous faces, he decided it was time to start. By the time the matches were winding down, Iruka was pretty impressed with the talent of the class. The clan kids had all won their matches fairly easily, although Sasuke had gotten a little carried away. His opponent suffered no serious damage, but his eye was blacked and much of his body was covered in swelling bruises. There were only two students left, Kiba Inuzuka and Naruto Uzumaki, and the chunnin was pretty sure he knew how this would play out. He expected that Naruto would basically attempt to street brawl while Kiba would use his clan's techniques to pick him apart. Naruto probably wouldn't go down quickly, the street may not do much for technique, after all, but it is a sure fire way to toughen a kid up.

Imagine his surprise, then, when it was almost an exact reversal of his prediction. Naruto took an odd stance. He was facing Kiba, but only with his head. His right shoulder was directed towards Kiba, as was his right foot. His torso and left foot, on the other hand, were facing towards the side. But what really had Iruka, and if he had to guess, the rest of the class as well, really confused were his hands. His left hand was at his left hip, and his right hand was in a loose fist a few inches away from his left. _'What in the world is that stance? It almost looks like he's getting ready to draw an invisible sword.'_ If only he knew how close he was.

In his distracted state, he forgot to say start, which gave Kiba the opportunity to mock his opponent. And he'd be damned if he'd let an opportunity like that slip by. "What the hell are you doing? That's the dumbest stance I've ever seen."

Naruto was barely able to keep a lid on his anger as he snapped back, "Careful, dog boy. My bro taught me this style, and if you mock him or what he taught me, I'll kick your ass."

The Inuzuka boy's growl finally snapped Iruka back to reality. "That's enough of that, you two. Begin!"

Once he had the go ahead, Kiba dropped to all fours before launching himself straight at Naruto. The kid was fast, and using his arms as well as his legs to push off probably made him the fastest kid in the class. Unfortunately for him, Naruto hadn't been training to fight academy students. As soon as Kiba had begun his charge, Naruto had crouched down further in his stance, turning his upper body until his back was almost facing Kiba. Once Kiba was about to strike, Naruto launched himself forward, brought his two hands together at his hip, and then used his momentum, combined with twisting his torso back to face forward to bury his right elbow into his opponent's stomach. Everyone, including Iruka, watched in stunned silence as Kiba was launched a good 30 feet away before coming to a stop and emptying the contents of his stomach onto the grass.

The rest of the day was pretty boring, more lectures, this time about what chakra was and how it was used to do jutsus. More crap he'd already learned from Ken. On the upside, Naruto had noticed some differences in the way his classmates looked at him already. They still weren't friendly, but they were at least appraising, trying to figure out what to make of him, instead of looking at him like he was crap. Hell, during lunch, the mighty Uchiha had even graced him with his presence. Granted, it was just to ask him about his taijutsu, and Sasuke was an arrogant prick the whole time, but at least he'd caught his eye. The real shock was when he was invited to eat with a group of guys. The Nara, Shikamaru, invited him to eat with Choji Akimichi, Kiba, and himself. Kiba wasn't thrilled, but after a bit of trash talk back and forth, and Saskue's lunch mysteriously exploding into an orange mist, all while Naruto had an impish grin on his face, Kiba decided that this could be fun after all.

Finally came the moment Naruto had been waiting for all day, the final bell. In spite of himself, he was nervous. Yeah, he was looking forward to seeing Ken, but after a few minutes of waiting, seeing parents picking up their children and shooting nasty looks his way, some old insecurities started to show up. "Yo little man! Sorry I'm late, the old man just wouldn't let me go!" Recognizing the voice, Naruto couldn't help himself. He turned to face Ken, and ran full tilt into him, knocking the man on his backside. "Hey now, bro. What's this all about? You have a rough day?"

"No, today was fine. You were just late, and, well, I…" He couldn't finish his sentence, but his eyes said it all to Ken. It had been an accident, but by running late, he knew Naruto thought he wasn't coming back.

"Pick your head up, squirt. I'm sorry I was late," he said, the sincerity dripping from the words, "but you need to remember, I've promised to protect you, and I never break a promise. You're my little bro and I'd never just ditch out on you. Got it?" Seeing the boy's face resume its normal smile, Ken's mood improved too. "Tell ya what, I want to hear all about your day, but I know I'm not the only one. Rather than making you tell it over and over again, what do you say we go get the old man and head over to Ichiraku's so you can tell us all about it in one go?"

"I say what the hell are we waiting for?" Naruto practically screamed, getting up and racing towards the Hokage tower without even waiting for Ken.

Ken couldn't help but chuckle as he got up and chased after the boy. _'I've got a feeling that these next four years are gonna fly.'_

Ken couldn't have been any more right. The next four years had indeed flown by. Ken had been shocked to discover how much he enjoyed teaching swordsmanship, and the Hokage had been ecstatic at with the results that had been produced. Many of the career genin were now no longer an automatic liability in battle. The drastic improvement amongst the lower ranks had even sparked some interest from the jonin. All in all, Ken had to admit he had been impressed by these shinobi, though two intrigued him more than any other. First was a girl from the class ahead of Naruto's, Tenten. When she first came to Ken, she used swords the same way she used kunai, namely by throwing them with deadly accuracy. When she demonstrated this, Ken was stuck between being impressed and being pissed off.

_**Ken's first day of training Tenten**_

Ken was not particularly looking forward to today. Not only was he training another group fresh out of the academy, but their jonin instructor was Gai, the weirdest ninja in a village full of odd balls. After being introduced to Neji, Tenten, and Gai Jr., or Lee, he gave each of them a practice sword, only to have Tenten pull out her own from a scroll she was carrying. _'This could be interesting. If she is already familiar with a sword at this point, that will make things a lot easier.' _"That's a nice blade. Tell ya what, show me what you can do with it." With that, he had her and Lee square off for a quick spar. "Alright, since this is my first time seeing you in action, use these kendo sticks instead of a real blade. Go all out, you shouldn't be able to do any serious damage to each other with these, and once I see what you can actually do, it'll make the teaching that much easier. Ready? Begin!"

Much to Ken's shock, Tenten instantly jumped back, creating room between her and Lee before jumping into the air and throwing the bamboo sword at her teammate like a spear. Apparently Lee was just as surprised, because rather than blocking, he got nailed dead center of his forehead, and was down for the count.

"What the hell was that?!?!?!" Ken screamed out at her. Seeing her shocked look of terror, he took a deep breath and tried again. "Look, if that's your idea of swordsmanship, we're wasting our time here. While what you just did is impressive, it's not swordsmanship. A sword, more so than any other weapon, is an extension of its wielder. A sword is a partner. It will defend you, it will cut down your enemies, and, if used properly, it can make a talented genin a match for a skilled chunnin."

_**End Flashback**_

Once he had finished his lecture, Tenten threw herself into the training all the way. While she was still predominantly a long range fighter, that was more due to her support role on her squad than a reflection of her skills. In fact, anyone who forced her into close combat would almost certainly regret it. Especially since, over the course of the year she spent training with Ken, she had found a way to modify a typical katana for her unique skills. It had been a fairly simply, but truly ingenious, matter of attaching a long chain to the hilt of the sword, turning it into a weapon resembling the bastard love child of a sword and a flail.

Then there was Naruto. The little man had become a well known prank master. Of course, the real reason for his fame was the fact that he was the Teflon man, nothing stuck to him. The glint in his eyes and the smile on his face was enough to let you know who had done it, but the kid was good. There was never a shred of evidence beyond the fact that he had motive and ability. In fact, more often than not, the evidence would somehow wind up pointing to one of his earlier victims. Just as Ken had hoped, Naruto's use of the Shinken taijutsu made for an incredibly easy transition to true Shinken. The katas were largely the same, the main difference being that now, instead of using punches that were similar to thrusts and swings, you were actually using those moves. Ken couldn't help but think the word "prodigy" was designed for Naruto, but he'd never say that to him. Don't misunderstand, Ken told him he was exceptional and praised him for his hard work and progress, but he'd seen the prodigy label inflate far too many egos to saddle his little bro with the title.

Speaking of the blond, perhaps the best part of the four years was watching his life turn around. In spite of their parents' warnings, his classmates couldn't help but be drawn towards him. This isn't to suggest that he had a ton of close friends, but he wasn't a loner either. He was currently ranked second in his class behind only the Uchiha in the overall standings, but that was largely due to the written tests. He and Naruto had an almost even split in their taijutsu matches, and Sasuke still had the slight edge in kunai and shuriken throwing. On the other hand, even though the academy didn't offer training with swords, Sasuke had acknowledged Naruto's skill after an unofficial sparring match between the two with kendo sticks.

While the two certainly wouldn't be considered friends, there was definitely a high level mutual respect for the other's skills in their rivalry. Not that such respect covered up the fact that Naruto thought Sasuke was an arrogant, spoiled child. Or that Sasuke thought Naruto was a hyperactive idiot. One of the biggest changes was in the Uchiha fan club. Their numbers hadn't dwindled much, but their enthusiasm had. With this Uzumaki kid being an even match for Sasuke, the group found itself divided about whether a mysterious brooder or a happy go lucky charmer would make a better target. Ino stayed very strong in her belief that Sasuke was clearly the better catch. As she pointed out, Sasuke and Naruto might be even now, but Sasuke still hadn't unlocked his Sharingan. Naruto, coming from no clan, wouldn't possibly be able to keep up at that point. Sakura, on the other hand, had taken to being very quiet during these debates. In truth, she was torn. She didn't think Sasuke was an arrogant ass like all the other guys in her class claimed, but she also had to admit that Naruto was much warmer. Something about his smile and the sincerity of those eyes, it just brought a smile to her face. She couldn't remember anytime Sasuke did something that gave her that feeling. On the other hand, he left her awestruck by his skill, and there was definitely something about that bad-boy attitude that was very cool.

Naruto had become very close with Shikamaru and Choji. In spite of himself, he had found that there was something truly wonderful about the Nara's favorite past time, cloud watching. It really was a great way to relax and just collect his thoughts. Yes, he had thoughts. He was surprised to find that out, too. And in Choji, well, there he had found a fellow ramen aficionado. Choji's love for ramen wasn't as pure as Naruto's, since Choji felt the same way, if not stronger, about barbeque pork, but Naruto was willing to look past that.

While he wasn't exactly close with Shino, Kiba, or Hinata, he got along well with all of them. Shino's silence, which he had first found disconcerting, he now found he appreciated. After all, for someone as off the wall as him, having a calming, steady presence around was a nice balance. Kiba was really funny. Sometimes, it was even on purpose. Most of the time, Naruto just loved to let Kiba talk long enough to have his mouth write a check his ass couldn't cash, and then Naruto would prank him, getting away with it, of course. This would naturally rile Kiba up to the point that he would try to get even, only to have his pranks backfire. Sometimes going off on himself, other times accidentally catching Iruka. Eventually, during their third year in school, Kiba had begged for a truce, and Naruto complied. They wound up becoming fairly regular sparring partners. Naruto won most of the time, but once Akamaru started getting into the mix, it became much tougher. Hinata was a true mystery. While she was obviously one of the most kind-hearted, caring people Naruto had ever met, she always seemed to be sick. It was like every time Naruto would see her, she was either battling a fever or suffering from fainting spells. It made it difficult for Naruto to really get to know her.

Today had been especially awesome. Naruto and all his friends had just passed the genin exam, making them all official shinobi of the Leaf. As a reward, he and Ken were going have dinner with the Hokage in his office. In spite of his giddiness as they were making their way from picking up dinner at Ichiraku's, Naruto couldn't help but notice Ken seemed a little out of it. "Hey bro, you ok?" he asked, the concern evident in both his voice and his face.

'_Ah crap. I must really be looking it if I'm obvious enough pull him out of his ramen/ninja joy.'_ "Hehe, yeah, definitely little man. I just can't believe how quick these four years have gone by." Ken tried to make himself look like he was just being nostalgic, knowing that if anyone was going to see through a fake smile, it would be Naruto. After all, the kid had spent more than half his life faking his own happiness. Content that he was buying it, at least for now, Ken decided to change the topic quickly. "You know, I'm not supposed to tell you this, so make sure you still act surprised, but the old man told me he was going to have a couple congratulatory gifts for you tonight." He couldn't contain his laughter as Naruto reacted exactly like he hoped he would.

"WHAT?!?!?!" he shouted, now literally bouncing off the walls, lamps, and anything else they happened to walk past. "What kind of gifts? Are they awesome jutsus? Is he ready to retire and name me his successor now?"

"Haha! Calm down, bro! We'll find out when we get there," he replied, now wearing a genuine smile, his inner turmoil from before now long gone.

"And don't think you're off the hook, either, Ken!" Naruto exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at Ken.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Ken asked, more than a little nervous. _'I thought for sure the gifts would get him off my weirdness earlier.'_

"I made it through all four years. I've graduated. I've pranked." As he said this, Ken's face relaxed, now knowing exactly where this was going. "You owe me a sword!"

Ken had to chuckle and shake his head. "I know, I know. Don't worry, shrimp. We'll get started with that tomorrow. I would have tried to have it ready for you, but you have to help me make it."

"Really? That's awesome!" he practically screamed while throwing his fist into the air. "But wait, why do I have to help?"

"I'll explain tomorrow when we get started. For now, let's enjoy our dinner." At this point, Naruto finally realized they had reached the Hokage tower. Before he could enter, Ken stopped him and winked, "Remember, act surprised."

It had been a truly phenomenal night. In addition to enjoying a ton of ramen and loads of laughs, Naruto also got some incredible gifts. The Hokage gave him a scroll containing the Shadow Clone Jutsu, complete with a list of the potential advantages in terms of reconnaissance and training, and a book on sealing. At first, Naruto was trying to fake being excited about the book on seals, until Ken told him that seals were actually going to be a big part of forging his own Heiwa blade. But what really made Naruto excited was when the Hokage let him know that the author of the book was none other than Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage. After that bit of information, Naruto practically crushed the old man's rib cage with hug-tackle. The final gift of the night was a slab of some weird black metal from Ken. Much like the book, Naruto was puzzled until Ken told him that this metal was the special chakra ore used to forge Heiwa blades. As Naruto was looking between his gifts, he couldn't help but think that there was nothing that could ruin this day. That was, at least, until he saw the serious and somber looks the Hokage and Ken were exchanging. "Hey. Are you two ok?"

Ken, exchanging one last look with Sarutobi, turned back to Naruto with a sad look. "Bro, we need to tell you some things. I don't think you're going to like them, but we both think you need to know."

Then the Hokage, his face and voice both carrying all the weight of his many years, continued, "Before we do that, though, we need to make sure you understand some things. First of all, what we are going to tell you doesn't change anything about you. Nor does it change how we see you or how we feel about you. Understood?"

At this point, Naruto couldn't hide his terror. He didn't know what was coming, but if it was this serious, he was pretty sure he didn't want to know. At the same time, part of him knew that if it was so important, he needed to know. Between fighting back the beginnings of tears in his eyes and not trusting his voice, he settled for a slow nod to the Hokage, encouraging him to continue.

Ken dropped to one knee, taking off his hat and making sure Naruto was looking him in the eye, and got started. "Naruto, do you remember the story about how the Fourth Hokage defeated the Kyuubi?"

Naruto nodded slowly, his voice shaking as he said, "Yeah, he gave his life to kill the Kyuubi and save the village."

Now it was the Hokage's turn. "That's not actually true, Naruto." Seeing the complete confusion on the boy's face, he continued, "He did battle the fox, and he did give his life to defeat it, but killing a beast like the Kyuubi is impossible, even for a ninja of his incredible skills. He used his cunning and skill with seals to trap the demon in a vessel. However, the only vessel capable of holding such terrible chakra without being destroyed and releasing the beast was a newborn infant…" He tried to continue, but couldn't.

Ken looked at Naruto's face and saw that he wasn't going to piece it together on his own. Who could blame him? Even if it weren't for the fact that he had spent his whole life being told something completely different, nobody would want to accept such a terrible truth. "Naruto, you were that baby."

At this point, Naruto's head snapped back to Ken's. His eyes held nothing but terror, shock, and the beginnings of understanding. "So that's why…" he said, barely even in a whisper, "that's why they all hate me. It's because I'm the Kyuubi. I'm the dem..."

Before he could even finish the sentence, Ken had him up in his arms, threatening to crush him in a hug. Naruto could feel the water running down his cheeks, but he could also feel Ken's tears soaking through the shoulder of his shirt. "Don't you even think about finishing that sentence!" Ken sobbed, in a powerful, emotion filled whisper. "You are not a demon. If you were a demon, you would have killed all those people who attacked you. Instead, you swore to get strong, to protect those same ignorant bastards who hated you. You are the strongest, kindest little man this world has ever seen. You're a damned hero already, whether those pricks want to acknowledge it or not. Your strength and your heart are the only things keeping this damned village safe from the demon. So if I ever hear you call yourself a demon again, I'm going to kick your ass. You get me?"

Naruto's last walls broke down. He wrapped his arms around Ken's neck and just sobbed into his shoulder for the better part of a half hour, until he was so tired that he passed out still in Ken's arms. Meanwhile, the Hokage could only smile sadly. As Ken prepared to take Naruto home and put him to bed, Sarutobi called out to him, "Ken? I and this village owe you a tremendous debt. You have continued to be there for Naruto like I can only wish I could. If there is anything you need that is within my power as Hokage to give you, you need only ask."  
Turning and giving the old man a kind smile and head nod in acknowledgement, Ken left. Once he had Naruto in bed, Ken sat on the floor, with his back resting up against the foot of Naruto's bed and settled in for a night of very light sleep, waiting for the first sounds of movement. He wanted to make sure that when Naruto woke up, or if he had any nightmares, he would know that Ken was right there with him.

**_A/N: There you have it, the newest chapter of The Ripples. It also happens to be the longest chapter I've ever written. Anyways, I am really enjoying writing this, and I'm loving the response I'm getting from you guys. It feels awesome to see that I have been added to update alert lists and gotten reviews. Keep em coming! I feel like I'm improving as a writer, but I have a long ways to go yet, and your input is hugely beneficial for getting where I want to go._**


	5. Chapter 5

_**Well, I gave it a couple days and got virtually no feedback on the poll, so I just decided to move ahead on my own. As always, I welcome all comments/criticism in the hopes that it will make me a better writer.**_

_**Also like always, I own nothing.**_

**Chapter 5: Lucky Sevens?**

The sun was barely rising over the Hokage Mountain, and the first signs of life were stirring in Konoha. Store owners were just making their way from their homes to their shops to prepare to open. Even restaurants which served breakfast were just beginning to clean the various fruits and vegetables they would be using. For two villagers, however, the day had begun long ago. One, a blond ball of energy, had been up for hours already, pestering his desperately tired older brother about when they could get started. Said older brother, finally realizing that sleep was simply not to be his, groaned and made his way to the shower. "Alright, little man, you win. Let me take a shower, and we'll head down and get started." Even in his frustrated and exhausted state, he couldn't hold back his chuckle when Naruto cried out with joy, most likely waking anybody within two miles of the apartment.

Thirty minutes later, finally on the road, Naruto realized that he had no idea where they were going or what they were going to do when they got there. "Hey, Ken? What do we need to do to make my sword?"

"Well bro," Ken yawned out, "First, I'll be putting a bunch of seals on the ore. Some of them will make the blade almost unbreakable, others will make the sword recognize your chakra signature so it will reject anyone other than you who tries to use it, but the most important ones will actually receive your chakra and an imprint of your soul." Ken stopped to look at his adoptive brother and wasn't disappointed. Sure enough, Naruto's jaw was practically on the ground and his face was pale. Ken couldn't help himself and burst out laughing. "Relax, bro, relax! It doesn't take your soul, just an imprint, an image. That's what will make the sword really your own. The blade will, while in the forge, take on a shape and ability which matches the strongest desires of your soul. Take Matomeyaku, for example. The strongest desire of my soul was to end fighting, to bring peace." Ken looked to see if Naruto was still with him, and found his brother staring at him in awe. "Don't get too impressed. I didn't even know that was my strongest desire. In fact, when I first got Matomeyaku, I was pissed that my blade was dull. It was only after years of working with her that I came to really understand what my soul had known all along."

"Wait!" Naruto exclaimed. "You mean that I may not know what my soul's strongest desire is?"

"Yeah, in fact, at your age, it's not uncommon." Ken saw Naruto suddenly looking worried. "What's the problem? What happened to your excitement?"

"What if…What if my soul isn't the one with the strongest desire?" he asked, barely above a whisper.

The question, though, stopped Ken in his tracks. It was true, Ken had never considered the possible impact of the Kyuubi's presence. "Naruto, I don't think you have anything to worry about. I mean, think about it. If your soul wasn't the strongest at this point, why hasn't…the other one taken over? And besides," as he dropped down to look Naruto in the eyes, "no matter the blade, the one who wields it will determine if it is good or evil. Matomeyaku is only used for good because that's what I use her for. She would be just as strong if I used her to protect bad guys. Even if your sword were to somehow have an evil influence, you will be the one wielding it. Just like your guest, you would be able to use it for good. What do you think?"

It took all Naruto's strength to keep the tears from falling after hearing how much faith his brother had in him. As his eyes regained their former determined and excited gleam, he nodded and thought, 'I won't let him down! Not just him, either. The old man, Teuchi, Ayame, my friends, I'll use whatever I can to protect them all!'

As they continued the walk in a comfortable silence, they eventually reached the weapon shop which the Hokage had told them they could use. After knocking on the door, Naruto was shocked to see Tenten answer. "Tenten? This is your shop?"

"Nope. I just work here when not on missions so that I can forge and repair my weapons cheaper. And besides," she continued with stars in her eyes, "when I found out that a Heiwa blade was being made this morning, there was no way I was going to miss it!"

She was brought out of her reverie by Ken chuckling and shaking his head lightly. "Sorry, Tenten, but the forging of a Heiwa blade is a closely guarded family secret. The only people who will be present for the forging will be Naruto and myself." Ken couldn't help but feel a little guilty at seeing how crushed Tenten was. So, he did the only thing he could think of to change her mood. "Tell ya what, Tenten. All you need to do to see a Heiwa blade is…" as he paused to build the tension and see Tenten completely engrossed, a smirk played across his face, "marry the little man. As a member of the family, you'd even be able to get your own!" At their simultaneous shout of, "WHAT?" Ken could no longer contain his laughter. Even as he dragged the still stunned Naruto to the forge room, he was crying with laughter.

Tenten, on the other hand, was left standing at the door, mouth agape and cheeks bright red. When her stupor wore off, she finally noticed that she was alone and the door to the forge was closed. Anyone in Konoha who had managed to sleep through Naruto's excited yell was awoken by Tenten's enraged cry of, "KEN! YOU JERK!"

Her yell actually finally snapped Naruto back into the realm of the living as well, as he turned his glare at his brother. "Ken, you're an ass!"

"Aw, come on, little man. It was just a joke." Naruto got nervous, seeing the mischievous glint in his brother's eye. "Although, you have to admit, it's not a bad idea. She's pretty cute, and you guys get along pretty well during spars…" he continued as he stroked his chin, as if in deep thought.

Naruto, for once not rising to the bait, simply rolled his eyes. "Whatever, bro. Can we pleeeease just make my sword now?"

"Yeah yeah, alright," Ken chuckled. "First things first, get the forge going. We need it white hot for this. While you do that, I'll start putting seals on the ore, then I'll call you over to put some chakra into the seals, and we can get started."

As the forge got up to temperature, Naruto channeled his chakra into the necessary seals, and then placed the ore into the forge. Using tongs made of a more common chakra conducting metal, Naruto pumped his chakra into the chunk of ore for an hour, watching it gradually shift shape from a simple block, to what looked like an amorphous blob, and finally into his blade. After he removed it from the fire and Ken dumped water on it to cool it, Naruto began to really examine his blade. It was like nothing he had ever seen. Whereas Ken's blade was a traditional katana, his sword was a straight sword that was double edged. It was shorter than Ken's sword, but not by much, with the blade being 42" as opposed to Ken's 48". The blade itself was also slightly thicker than Ken's, but what really made the sword stand out was the tang, where the blade would connect to the handle and guard. More precisely, what stood out was the presence of two tangs.

Ken was deeply puzzled by this as well. While every sword was unique, there was no record of this type of thing having happened before. He did, however, have one theory he wanted to test. "Nice work, little man. Looks like a real beauty. Before we make your handle, I want you to try something for me first." Seeing he had Naruto's undivided attention, he continued, "Try holding both tangs as you pump some chakra in to activate the blade." Nodding, Naruto did just that, only to have his eyes fly wide open and jaw drop, yet again, as the blade split down the middle, leaving him with two katana. "I thought so. Well bro, looks like the shocks just keep coming. You are the first Heiwa I know of to have two blades."

As Naruto took this in, he examined his pair of blades and noticed differences between them. One of them looked a lot like Matomeyaku, except for the slightly golden hue mixed in with the natural darkness of the ore. In other words, it appeared to have no edge to it. Naruto was ecstatic that he had a blade like Ken's, it put to rest some of his remaining fears about the Kyuubi's influence. His second blade, on the other hand, looked very sharp and almost looked as if it was on fire with many faint flame like patterns of dark orange running the length of the blade.

Seeing Naruto's distrustful look directed at the second blade, Ken decided to distract him a bit. "Alright bro, time to get to work on a handle and guard for both of your swords. You should probably go get your girlfriend. She'll be excited to see your swords and also be able to help you fashion what we need."

It took Naruto a second to process what Ken had said, but when he did, he snapped his head around and shot his most intense glare to date at the man. The impact, however, was significantly weakened by the intense red blush that had claimed his cheeks, causing Ken to laugh hysterically once again. After another hour and a half of intense work, and even more intense teasing, Ken and a heavily blushing Naruto waved goodbye to an equally red Tenten and made their way home.

"Alright bro, I know you're probably raring to go and try out your new blades, but first thing is first. You need to meditate." Seeing Naruto about to protest, Ken held his hand up to stall him. "We've been over this already, bro. A mind at peace is essential to good swordsmanship. Besides, you need to connect with your blades. They represent parts of your soul, your soul's deepest desires, so you need to figure out what they are so you can name and properly use them."

In spite of his pouting, Naruto assumed his meditative pose and began trying to calm himself. When his breathing had become slower and more relaxed, Ken placed the swords in his lap and left him to his meditation, knowing it would probably take most of the afternoon before met his swords.

As Naruto began to meditate, he felt a tug at the back of his mind. Having been advised by Ken to follow such feelings in meditation, he let the pull take him. As the pull lessened, he began to feel moisture under his legs, causing his eyes to shoot open. When they opened, he was shocked to be in what looked to be a sewer. His first thought was that Ken must have played some kind of joke on him, causing him to start plotting his revenge. All such thoughts vanished, however, when he heard what sounded like yelling down the corridor. After racing to the end of the hall, he was stopped dead in his tracks by what he saw waiting for him. There were two men in samurai armor, one in white armor with gold trim and the other in black armor with red trim, right in front of a gigantic cage which housed what appeared to be two massive blood red eyes and a similarly sized mouth full of teeth, and Naruto was pretty sure he was hearing a terrifyingly deep growl coming from that mouth.

Before Naruto could ask what was going on, the samurai dressed in white spoke to the disembodied eyes and mouth. "Your power is indeed impressive, Kyuubi, but in here we are stronger. Your days of tormenting our master are done."

"**Fool!" **came the rumbling, growling reply from behind the cage. **"Do not underestimate me! I am the Kyuubi, most powerful of the tailed beasts. I am the reason for you master's strength and even the reason behind one of your existences!"**

At this, the second samurai, the one in black, spoke up. "You truly are a fool, Kyuubi. Yes, Naruto could potentially pull from your power, but we all know that, to date, he never has. Furthermore, your hatred and bloodlust may indeed be the reason behind there being two of us, but he has purified that thirst for chaotic destruction into a noble desire for justice. I have but one master, and it is not, nor shall it ever be, you."

Naruto found himself glued to his spot, and for once in his life, left completely speechless. Apparently, he was in his mind, which he absently noted meant Ken was off the hook. Furthermore, two samurai were arguing with the Kyuubi in defense of their master, who one of them had said was Naruto. While Naruto was processing all this information, he was oblivious to the fact that Kyuubi's eyes had locked onto him. Well, he was oblivious, until the roar nearly made him soil himself.

In addition to knocking Naruto on his butt, however, it also brought his presence to the attention of the two samurai who simultaneously hollered out, "Lord Naruto!" while racing to his side and helping him to stand. Once he was upright again, the samurai in black fixed his glare on the Kyuubi and drew a sword. "Be warned, Kyuubi, that if you threaten our lord in our presence that we have the power necessary to protect him here."

"**Hn. Very well, fools. But know this: one day, I will be free of this damned seal, and when that happens, nothing you or anyone else can do will stop me from destroying all three of you." ** Having finished his warning, the two red eyes seemed to close, leaving the other side of the cage completely obscured in darkness.

At this point, both samurai turned to Naruto and knelt in front of him like he had seen the ANBU do to the Hokage before saying, "Lord Naruto! It is our honor to serve you."

Both lifted their heads in concern when they heard Naruto laughing. As they feared, it looked as though the preceding exchange may have been too much for him. Shortly, though, Naruto regained most of his composure and spoke to the two. "Sorry, but you guys are too funny. 'Lord Naruto!' Ha, yeah right. I'm no lord."

At this point, the samurai in white felt it was his turn. "Lord Naruto, this is no joke. We are your swords. Or, more accurately, we are the manifestation of the desires which gave birth to your blades. Let us introduce ourselves. As a pair, we are Tenraihan. I am Renbin. I am your blade which resembles Ken's Matomeyaku, and I am born out of your desire to protect those who are precious to you."

"And I," began the samurai dressed in black, "am your other blade, Danzai. As you may have heard upon your arrival, I was originally born from Kyuubi's hatred, as you had feared. However, please believe me, Lord Naruto. I am the embodiment of what your soul has done with that hatred. I am your sense of justice, your desire to punish those who would harm others. I am yours and yours alone, the Kyuubi has no claims on me."

Naruto could hear the desperation in Danzai's voice, begging Naruto to trust him. "Of course I believe you both. I'm sorry for my earlier doubts, Danzai. I suppose I'm still getting used to the fact that I house the Kyuubi."

At this, both samurai looked at Naruto with big smiles before bowing their heads again and saying, "Thank you, Lord Naruto."

During the exchange, Naruto took the time to more closely examine the two. They were almost negative images of each other. Renbin, in addition to his white and gold armor, had light green eyes, and pale, blond hair. It was so pale, in fact, that Naruto first thought it was white. It was in a style similar to Ken's pony tail, though he also wore a hitai-ate on his forehead. Unlike Naruto's recently acquired blue one with the leaf symbol, Renbin's was white with the kanji for guardian on what looked like a golden plate. Danzai, on the other hand, had crimson eyes, black hair, and a red cloth hitai-ate with the kanji for judge on an onyx plate.

Noticing that they were both back in their kneeling position at his feet and uncomfortable with their respectful address, Naruto scratched his head sheepishly. "Hey, uh, could you guys drop the 'Lord Naruto' stuff? It feels weird. I mean, I'm just a kid."

"While we appreciate your humility, we will continue to call you Lord Naruto, Lord Naruto," came the reply from Renbin.

"What? Why?" asked a confused, and slightly frustrated, Naruto.

To his shock, Renbin and Danzai both looked up at him wearing an all too familiar smile. "Because, Lord Naruto, we also inherited your love of messing with people."

As he continued to talk with Tenraihan, Naruto found out that his swords could not tell him about their abilities. They were going to have to discover what they were together thru intense training. They also revealed a major weakness to his two blades. Both swords being katana, they were both intended to be wielded with two hands. In the long run, Naruto was going to have to really step up his strength training so that he could wield one in each hand. Renbin, however, did offer a short term solution by pointing out that since Naruto's shadow clones would exactly match his chakra signature, one of them could wield whichever sword the real Naruto wasn't using.

When Naruto came out of his meditation, he realized that the sun had nearly completed its descent, meaning it was well past dinner time. "Hey Ken! Let's go get Ichiraku's to celebrate!"

"How much money do you think I have, bro?" came the exasperated reply from the kitchen. "Look, that ore and the rights to use the forge weren't cheap. We're going to have to limit our dinners out for a while." Just before Naruto could fully enter into his pouting, Ken continued, "But don't worry, while you were meditating I went to the store and got the ingredients to make ramen here. Come give it a shot and tell me what you think." He could only laugh as his little brother had wolfed down three bowls in the time it took Ken to turn around. "Not too shabby, eh?"

"It's no Ichiraku's…" he began, "but it ought to hold me over for now!" After dinner, Naruto told Ken what he had learned from his swords and Ken began to think up a training schedule for him.

"Alright bro, here's the deal." Seeing Naruto staring at him intently, he figured he was probably paying attention. "You have just under two weeks before team assignments, and after that you'll be training with your jonin sensei and doing missions, so we'll be a little limited on training time." He almost cracked up when he saw Naruto pouting, but reined it in and continued, "So I'm going to train you into the ground for the next two weeks and during any free time you have. After all, can't have the last of the Heiwa blades wielded by an amateur swordsman!"

The two spent the rest of the evening in relaxed conversation before going to bed early, knowing the next two weeks were going to be incredibly intense. Ken was better than his word, having Naruto use one hundred shadow clones to practice his sword katas while the real Naruto was walking on his hands with additional weights on to try and build his upper body strength to wield each blade one-handed until lunch. After a short break, Naruto's resumed kata training with his clones while the real Naruto and Ken would spar for four hours with a ten minute break at the two hour mark. Naruto sparred using Renbin for the first two hours and Danzai for the second. After sparring, they would eat dinner and then Naruto would spend two hours in meditation before going to bed and starting all over again.

Midway thru the first week, Ken had asked to meet with the Hokage while Naruto was meditating. Curious as to how his adopted grandson was doing, he agreed to the meeting. When he heard the knock at his office door, he invited him in.

"Good evening, Lord Hokage," Ken began while bowing. "Thank you for meeting me."

"Anytime, Ken. I must admit to being very curious about Naruto's progress," the aged leader responded with a kind smile.

Ken returned his smile before answering. "He's doing well. In addition to improving his swordsmanship, it seems that the bond with his swords is actually helping repress the Kyuubi."

Sarutobi couldn't keep the shock off his face. "How is that possible?" Ken proceeded to explain about how a Heiwa blade, because it is a manifestation of the souls strongest desire, gives "birth" to a mental manifestation of that desire, and how, in Naruto's case, there were two desires, both of which helped Naruto to subconsciously keep the Kyuubi in check. "That is a wonderful surprise. I had no idea just how special the Heiwa blades were."

"Thank you, Sarutobi. However, that's not the real reason I wanted to see you." As the Hokage looked at him questioningly, Ken couldn't help but feel awkward and began to scratch his cheek sheepishly. "Well, Lord Hokage, I know I'm not really in any position to ask favors, but…"

After waiting a little while, but seeing Ken no closer to finishing his sentence, Sarutobi finally intervened. "Ken, please know that you can ask anything of me you like. As I told you before, Naruto is like a grandson to me, and you have been such a tremendous help to him. If there is anything in my power to give you, you need only ask."

Emboldened by how generous the man was being, Ken decided to just shoot out his question. "I would like to know about Naruto's genin team."

Again, the Hokage could only chuckle. "Is that all? I've had clan heads in here asking and making requests all week about that. Very well, we haven't actually made the assignments yet. If you'd like, you can come in tomorrow and be part of my meeting with the jonin and give your input."

Ken was blown away by the offer. "Are you sure, Lord Hokage? Won't your ninja be upset having an outsider like myself as part of the decision process?"

"Oh please!" the Hokage scoffed. "Ken, you will be invited, but you will have no say in the final decisions. Besides, it might be beneficial to have a new perspective on our methods, especially from someone trained to fight ninja. You will probably be better at seeing potential team weaknesses than even we will."

Ken bowed deeply to the Hokage, thanking him, before leaving, bringing with him the profiles of nine of the better graduates which the Hokage asked him to study before the meeting. At the meeting the next day, Ken was shocked to see that only three jonin were joining the Hokage and Naruto's teacher, Iruka, to pick the teams. They explained that most of the teams were already picked. While most of Naruto's classmates had passed the first test, most figured to be life-long genin. Only nine students showed the potential to be exceptional ninja, and so choosing members for the three remaining teams would get a great deal more attention. After Ken was introduced to the three jonin, Kakashi, Kurenai, and Asuma, the meeting began.

Sarutobi got things started. "Ken, I have put together my initial arrangement for the teams. Allow me to explain the reasoning behind them to you. Team 7 under Kakashi Hatake will be Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, and Shikamaru Nara. This is one of the older traditions in Konoha. We have paired the top male student, Sasuke, and the top female, Sakura, with the lowest scoring student, Shikamaru. Normally this is done to force the top two to learn teamwork by working with someone who needs their help. In this case, however, they have potentially gotten very lucky, as Shikamaru scored low due to laziness in the classroom. In reality, the boy is a strategic genius, as vouched for by jonin commander, his father Shikaku Nara."

Seeing all eyes on him, Ken said, "Please continue, Lord Hokage. I have some thoughts on this team, but I can't comment in a vacuum. It would be foolish to make suggestions based on this team without knowing how it will impact the others."

While all the jonin were slightly shocked at how clear Ken's point was, the Hokage inwardly smirked, knowing Ken had just cleared a huge hurdle in beginning to win the respect of some of the top jonin in the village. "Very well. Team eight will be under Kurenai Yuhi and will consist of Hinata Hyuuga, Shino Aburame, and Kiba Inuzuka. The combination of the eyes of the Hyuuga, the nose of the Inuzuka, and the versatile insects of the Aburame looks as though it may provide the village with one of the best tracking teams in recent memory." The Hokage paused to see Ken resting his chin in his hand, nodding his head slightly, suggesting that he was thinking about the team, before continuing. "Team ten, finally, will be lead by Asuma Sarutobi and consist of Ino Yamanaka, Choji Akimichi, and, of course, Naruto Uzumaki. This team would be an assault and interrogation unit. Choji and Naruto would provide the muscle for the extraction of enemies, and Ino would be able to use some of her family's jutsu for getting information out in the field. Now that you have heard the assignments and our reasons, I would like to hear your thoughts on the teams."

Ken, realizing that he was still an outsider in this meeting, took some time to consider his words, as he wanted to make sure to phrase things carefully as he moved forward with his concerns. "Lord Hokage, I believe that your teams would be quite strong, however I would recommend one switch between teams seven and ten. I would switch Shikamaru and Naruto."

At this point, Kakashi's visible eye widened before he appeared to smile. Asuma, on the other hand, just looked surprised. Before either could comment on that, however, Sarutobi spoke up. "And why, pray tell, would you make that change?"

"I believe Shikamaru, with his analytical brilliance and gift for strategy, actually improves your extraction team's ability. Yes, you give up some muscle, but as much as Naruto has matured, he still leaves something to be desired in terms of subtlety." Ken waited for the collective chuckles to die down before continuing. "The Akimichi are renowned for their incredible physical prowess, meaning from a pure muscle perspective he should be more than enough. Nara shadow techniques, however, provide a much better complement to those techniques than Naruto's blade or jutsu."

"I see how this would benefit Team Ten," started Asuma, "but doesn't it weaken Team Seven to lose that same strategic element?"

Stroking his chin absently, Ken answered, "I thought about that, but really, Team Seven was already without a specialization, so they might not need strategy as much as a team built for infiltration and extraction like your own Team Ten was intended for. Now, with Naruto on the team with Sasuke and Sakura, it seems like a team with the potential to be incredible front-line powerhouses."

As they considered the truth of his words, Kakashi spoke up. "As excited as I would be to have the top three students of the academy," _'Especially since it would mean having sensei's son in my team,'_ he thought, "I'm not sure Sakura fits into the mold of a powerhouse."

"It's true, Kakashi, that she lacks the chakra capacity of the other two, however she already has impeccable chakra control, correct?" Receiving nods from around the room, Ken turned to Sarutobi, "Lord Hokage, correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't one of your greatest students manage to turn incredible chakra control into inhuman strength? Also, could there be a better help to a ninjutsu specialist like Sasuke and a raw chakra powerhouse like Naruto than a great field medic, like someone with Sakura's control could possibly become?"

Sartuobi's eyes widened and his pipe fell out of his mouth as he realized the potential similarities between the team that Ken had suggested and his own Team Seven, which developed into the Sannin. While it took the other jonin longer to draw the same conclusion, once they did, they had similar reactions.

Once he regained his composure, Sarutobi cleared his throat, regaining everyone's attention. "Excellent arguments, Ken. Is there anyone who opposes the recommended changes?" Seeing nobody moved to disagree, he decided to wrap things up. "Very well, then. Let us make it official. Team Seven will be Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, and Naruto Uzumaki under the guidance of Kakashi Hatake. Team Eight will be Hinata Hyuuga, Kiba Inuzuka, and Shino Aburame under Kurenai Yuhi. Team Ten will consist of Ino Yamanaka, Choji Akimichi, and Shikamaru Nara under Asuma Sarutobi. Good luck to all of you and your teams."

_**Alright, sorry again for the delay. Let me know what you think.**_


End file.
